The Missouri Department of Transportation says a five-year funding initiative introduced last year for state roads and bridges is almost finished.

The funding initiative, which included reducing the number of employees from 6,300 to 5,100, closing facilities, and putting $355 million back in to the construction of Missouri’s roads and bridges is nearly complete.

Director Kevin Keith says it is possible to do more with less by expanding our transportation system without adding employees, but that’s not going to solve our problem. “It was absolutely necessary, but we’re not going to cut our way into solving a problem of how we fund infrastructure in this state and in this country,” he says.

Keith says Missouri is not the only state facing this problem. “Every state is in the same predicament, not some, it’s every one of them,” he says. “Some have moved forward and have implemented solutions; some are working on finding a solution.”

He says Kansas for example, has had success in addressing the funding the issue through a sales tax.